Semi-dwarf varieties of wheat that were introduced during the Green Revolution changed farming in many parts of the world, and changed the way people could farm. Before these shorter varieties came along, if you were lucky enough to grow a big crop, it would probably lie down. New semi-dwarf varieties didn't lodge as easily, enabling... Read More
Category: Crop Production
There's new competition coming in the area of farm cash advance administration in Alberta. The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) has announced it will be launching its own program called "FarmCash" to administer advances for Alberta farmers and ranchers through the federal government's Advance Payments Program. Starting September 1, 2018, FarmCash will offer interest-free and low... Read More
Combine loss monitors are useful for understanding whether the amount of grain being thrown out the back of a combine is increasing or decreasing, but they're not a great tool for quantifying those losses, according to research conducted by PAMI (Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute). The recent project focused on understanding the accuracy of combine loss... Read More
A fictional look at life without glyphosate in the year 2028. Due to pressure from consumers and decisions by the courts, glyphosate use has been banned in Canada and the U.S. Only three years removed from the complete ban of glyphosate, North American farmers are still dealing with the changes to their farming practices. The... Read More
Agriculture industry and farm groups are voicing strong concerns about Health Canada's proposed ban of two neonicotinoid (neonic) crop protection products announced on Wednesday. Citing risk to aquatic insects, such as mayflies and midges, not bees, the federal health department's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is looking to phase out all agricultural uses of thiamethoxam... Read More
Glyphosate — commonly known as Roundup — suffered a blow in the court of public opinion following a California jury decision last week, but the actual legal implications of the verdict are still to be determined in court. The jury found Monsanto liable in a case where former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson alleges exposure to... Read More
When bin sensors first came along it was a huge improvement over simply shoving a metal rod through the bin door in some ways. Because sensors are tethered though, you still end up with a linear — rather than a randomly distributed —set of measurements. This means you are not actually measuring a good portion... Read More
Health Canada has proposed banning two of the most commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) used in Canadian agriculture in the next three to five years following a review of their impact on aquatic insect species. The proposal published on Wednesday would end outdoor agricultural and turf uses for clothianidin, and all outdoor agricultural and ornamental... Read More
While the total land area isn't necessarily the largest in Canada, B.C.'s agriculture industry tops the list when it comes to diversity and total economic impact, depending on the sector. RealAgriculture founder Shaun Haney recently got a chance to interview the Honourable Lana Popham, British Columbia's agriculture minister. The conversation is a part of RealAgriculture's... Read More
As the summer days stretch and the forest fire smoke settles in over huge areas of the country, farmers are wrapping up wheat harvest in the east and starting harvest in earnest in the west. Late-season agronomy typically centres on harvest management, but diseases and insects are still lurking, especially in the corn crop. In... Read More